I have to confess that before today, I’d actually never even heard of pretzel salad before. Apparently, I’ve been living under a rock. It wasn’t until Rachel told me about eating it as a child that I discovered this awesome dessert. I’ve tried it, and now I’m hooked. Thanks Rachel.
There are three main components to this Strawberry Pretzel Salad. The first layer is the pretzel crust. Since we’re making these in glass trifle dishes, you can’t really put it in the oven to bake. So we’re going to cheat it a little bit.
Allow the crunchy pretzel layer to cool down and then spoon it into the bottom of the mini trifle dishes. Pack it in to make an even layer. The next step is to get the creamy whipped cream cheese layer.
Spoon the creamy later over the pretzel layer. Smooth it out with the back of a spoon to get it as smooth as possible. Place in the fridge and allow to set for a bit.
The last layer is the strawberry Jell-o layer. You can use fresh strawberries, sliced, or frozen sliced strawberries that have been thawed.
Spoon the jello layer on top of the cream cheese layer. Allow to chill in the fridge for a few hours, until set. You can cover them with plastic wrap and chill overnight as well.
Right before serving you can add a dollop of cool whip or whipped cream. Sprinkle with a few crushed pretzels if you’d like. This is the perfect dessert to make in advance for a party because they keep well in the fridge for a few days. Enjoy!
- 2 cups crushed pretzels
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 (8 oz) container whipped topping (in freezer aisle)
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 (6 oz) box strawberry JELL-O
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced (or 1 bag frozen sliced strawberries, thawed)
- 1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Combine the crushed pretzels, melted butter and 3 tablespoons sugar. Spread out evenly on a baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool. Divide the pretzels mixture among the mini trifle dishes, and flatten out in a single layer.
- In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, whipped topping and 3/4 cup powdered sugar until completely smooth. Divide among the mini trifle dishes (on top of the pretzel layer) and spread out with the back of a spoon.
- In a medium bowl, dissolve the JELL-O and boiling water. Allow to slightly cool. Stir in the sliced strawberries and crushed pineapple. Divide among the mini trifle dishes (on top of the cream layer) and spread out evenly. Allow to chill in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap, until set, about 3 hours. Garnish with a dollop of whipped topping. Enjoy!
- Tip: You can make these in mini trifle dishes or in one 9x13 inch baking dish!
